RND1 is reported to control the dynamics of cytoskeleton, cell growth, and survival, and dysregulation of RND1 is involved in the tumorigenesis. However, its expression and functions in the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) are unknown. In the present study, it was found that the expression of RND1 was up-regulated in ESCC tissues compared with the adjacent normal tissues. Forced expression of RND1 promoted the growth and migration of ESCC cells, while knocking down the expression of RND1 inhibited the growth, migration, and metastasis of ESCC cells. Molecular mechanism studies showed that RND1 activated ERK signaling. In summary, our study suggested that RND1 plays an important role in the progression of ESCC, and RND1 might be a promising target for the treatment of ESCC.
Keywords: Cell growth and migration; ERK signaling; ESCC; RND1.